Transporting mechanism for pipe-annealing furnaces



Dec. 18,1928. Y 1,695,515 a J. H. UHRIG TRANSPORTING MECHANISM FOR P IPE ANNEALING FURNACES' Filed Dec. 28,1926 2 Sheets-Shqet 1 Dec. 18, I928.

J. H. UHRIG TRANSPORTING MECHANISM FOR PIPE ANNEALING FURNACES Filed Dec 28, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 18, '1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE}.

JOHN H. 'Q'HRIG, OF IBEV ERLY NEW. JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T UNITED STATES CAST IRON -PIPE & FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF BURLINGTON, NEW JERSEY, A CORIEORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

-'I'RANSPORTING MECHANISM FOR PIPE-ANNEALING FURNACES.

' Application filcd December 28, 1926. vSerial No. 157,450.

My invention relates to pipeannealing furnaces of the general type of that described in the patentv to Anthony, 1,525,905, of February 10, 1925. In furnaces of this type centrif- 6 ugally cast cast iron pipes are supported and transported through the annealing furnace b means of a train of overlapping rollers in tlile bights of which the pipes are supported and rotated and which rolls are formed with 10 circumferential notches by means of which the pipes are intermittently transported to the successive bights of the roll train. As heretofore constructed the notches of the supporting rolls have'been so formed that in the operatlon oftransporting a pipe from the bight of two overlapping rolls to the next succeeding bight the pipes roll with acceler ated velocity and come-in contact with the succeedingrolls while moving with considerable speed, as a result of which I have found that a considerable percentage of the pipes passing through the annealing furnace are bent and deformed and the object of my present inventionis to provide improved means for transporting the pipes from the bight of one pair of rollsto the next succeeding bight in such a manner that no blow is struck and the tendency to deform the pi es is therefore avoided. A further object o my invention is to maintain the pipes in rotation as they pass from the bight of one pairof rolls to the next bight, this being important as tending to overcome the tendency to sag out of shape as t ey may do if maintained in one position for an appreciable length of time and a further object of my invention is to so angularly arrange the transporting notches of the rolls that the work of raising the pipes from the positions they occupy when lying in the notches to the I positions they occupy' on the cylindrical su aces of the rollers will be distributed throughout the length of the roll train. My invention consists, in the first place, in forming the notches in the rolls with two pipe retaining crests whereby the-pipe is maintained in the notches while being transported from one'to the next succeeding bi ht of the roll train and prevented from rol ing'with accelerated speed in the contact with the next succeeding rolls. My invention" further consists in forming the notches between the crests thereof with a greater curvature than that of of the heated pipes the pipes to be supported and transported by the rolls so that, as the notches are moved from pipe receiving topipe delivering positions, the pipes Wlll roll over their curved surfaces and thus be maintained in rotation;

and a third feature of my invention is, in a roll train having the features above noted, to arrange the notches at progressively different angles to a fixed plane so that the, different pipes supported on the train will be lifted at at different times and the work of lifting the pipes shall be distributed instead of concentrated, as would be the case if all the pipes were lifted at the same time.

My invention will be best understood as described in connection with the drawings, in which I Figure 1 isasectional longitudinal elevation through an annealing furnace provided with my improved pipe supporting and t'rans-' porting mechanism with the pipe transporting mechanism shown in non-sectional elevation excepting only one sectional detail, and

Figures 2 to 11 are views showing in connection with the three rolls, F, F and F, the

progressive operation of the rolls in rotating and transporting the pipes from one to the next succeeding bight of the roll train.

A indicatesthe furnace; A the entrance through which the pipes are introduced; A the outlet passa e through which the pipes are delivered and A a depending bridge wall located in the furnace. B indicates tracks which support the roll train carriage C through its wheelsC D is a shaft running longitudinally through the carriage and driven by any convenient mechanism, which shaft, as shown, is provided with a series of worms 1), which worms drive the roll shafts indicated at E, E, etc., through the worm wheels indicated at E F, FQF, etc., are the pipe 'siipporting rolls secured on the shafts E n all the above mentioned features, except inthe special construction of the notches in the rolls F, the apparatus is substantially the same as that of the Anthony I patent above mentioned. I

G, G, etc., are the notches formed in the rollers, which notches, by my novel construction, are formed with two. crestsGr and G where'they merge into the circumference of the rolls and are formed with a concavely curved portion" G lying between'the crests,

the curvature of which is greater than that of the pipes indicated at. H, which are supported and transported by the roll train.

The operation of my improved mechanism is illustrated in Figs. 2 to 11. In Fig. 2 the pipe is shown as supported in the bight between the rolls F' and F with the crests G of the notch in the roll F just coming into registry with the supported pipe H. Figs. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the action of the rolls in gradually lowering the pipe H into the notch in rolls F Fig. 6 shows the pipe as supported in the notches of the rolls F and Figs. 7 and 8 showing the work performed by the rolls F in transporting the pipe from the bight between the rolls F and F to the bight between the rolls F and F and it will be observed that in passing from the position shown in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. 8, the pipe H will gradually roll from the position in which it lies close to the crest G to the position where it lies close to the crest G and is brought in contact with the surface of the roll F Figs. 9, 10 and 11 illustrate the further work performed in lifting the pipe from the position shown in Fig. 8 to the position shown in Fig. 11.

As shown in Fig. 1 the notches of each succeeding pair of rolls are arranged at progressively different angles to a fixed plane so that the work of lifting the pipes from the position shown in Fig. 8 to that shown in Fig. 11 is distributed throughout the roll train with the result, as I havestated, of making this work a constant instead of an intermittent burden on the driving mechan'ism.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: a

1. In an annealing furnace for cast iron pipes having means. for supporting, rotating and progressively advancing the pipes consisting of a multiple series of overlapping formation of said notches with a pipe retaining crest at both ends thereof so as toretain the pipe in the notches as it is transferred.

from one to the next succeeding bight and prevent it from rolling with accelerated speed into contact with the next succeeding rollers.

2. In an annealing furnace having the features of claim 1 the formation of the roller not'cheswith a concave curved surface the radius of which is greater than that of the circumference of the pipes to be held therein so that the pipes as they are transported in the notches from one bight to the .next will roll slowly on-thesurfaces of the supporting notches.

3. In an annealing furnace for cast iron pipes having means for supporting, rotating and progressively advancing the pipes consisting of a multiple series of overlapping rotating rollers having notched peripheries whereby a pipe resting in the bight of one pair of overlapping rollers is transferred to the next succeeding bight, the formation of said notches with a plpe retaining crest at both ends thereof so as to retain the pipe in the notches as it is transferred-from one to the next succeeding bight and prevent it from rolling with accelerated speed into contact with the next succeeding rollers, said notches being also formed with concave supporting surfaces of greater curvature than the circumference of the pipes to be supported there-,

on and the notches of successive rollers be ing disposed at progressively different angles to a fixed plane so as to equalize the strain of lifting the pipe from the bottom to the crests of the supporting notches.

JOHN H. UHRIG. 

